Ryan Rhodes “happy” with his career – but no decision made yet on retirement

AN upbeat Ryan Rhodes insists he can look back on his career with no regrets – but insists no decision has been made yet about his future.

The 35-year-old suffered a TKO defeat to Sergey Rabchenko in an unsuccessful attempt to claim the European light-middleweight title for a second time, falling to a vicious body shot.
The defeat prompted speculation that the three-time world title challenger may hang up his gloves, but the Sheffielder says a break with his family will help him make up his mind.

“I have made no decision on what I am going to do,” says Rhodes, whose most recent world title tilt was against Mexican Saul Alvarez last year.

“But if I retire, I can live with it. I have won everything but the world title, I won the British title, the European title, I fought on a Golden Boy Promotions card.

“Now I need some time off. I’ve been in training since early January, so I’ve missed out on seeing my wife and kids.

“I feel good after the Rabchenko fight. If I had been blitzed for seven rounds then there’d be no doubt that I’d retire.

“But I got caught with a body shot and all fighters get caught with those. Because of how the fight went, I can take more positives than negatives.”

Rhodes gave his opponent on the Manchester Velodrome show due respect, adding that he was one of “the better fighters” he has faced during a lengthy career which began in 1995.

“Don’t get me wrong, he is not Saul Alvarez or anything like that, but he is a good fighter,” said Rhodes.

“However many abdominal work-outs you do, there is nothing to prepare you for a body shot like that. He was everything I expected him to be, a come-forward fighter and there was nothing I didn’t expect.

“It was a tough fight, without a shadow of a doubt and he’s a good young boxer.”